GunSerialsWinchester Model 1885 (Model 85) serial numbers by year
A single-shot rifle designed by John Browning, sold in High Wall and Low Wall versions. A metal block lowers to open the back of the barrel for loading; this design is called a falling block.
- Produced:
- 1885–1920
- Action:
- single-shot
New to gun terms? Start here
- Model:
- The name of the gun design, such as Model 94. A model name that looks like a year does not tell you when your gun was made.
- Serial number:
- The number stamped on an individual gun. Include letters that are part of the number. A separate letter stamped above it, like the Model 97's C, D or E, is a different marking.
- Receiver:
- The main metal body just behind the barrel. The receiver ring is its front section, where the barrel joins it.
- Tang:
- A strip of metal extending from the receiver into the stock. The lower tang runs underneath, behind the trigger.
- Stock:
- The part you hold against your shoulder, usually made of wood on older Winchesters.
- Forearm or forend:
- The part under the barrel where your forward hand holds the gun.
- Action:
- The mechanism that loads and removes cartridges. Names such as lever action, pump action, and bolt action describe how it works.
- Caliber or gauge:
- The ammunition size or type a gun is designed to use. This marking is different from the model and serial number.
- Takedown:
- A version designed to separate into major sections for storage. A takedown joint is where those sections meet.
- Proof mark:
- A factory testing mark, such as Winchester's oval WP stamp. It is not a serial number or a date code.
- Peep or aperture sight:
- A rear sight with a small hole to look through. A hooded front sight has a cover around it.
What year was your Model 85 made?
Need help finding the serial number?
Look up a serial number and print a one-page record sheet: the date and its sources, the status by age, the model in brief, and the auction price range.
Does the barrel say Made in Japan, or does the serial number have letters in the middle? Then it is a modern reissue with its own numbers. How to tell an original from a reissue.
Winchester Model 85 value: what it sells for at auction
Enter your serial number above to highlight the price categories that fit the estimated date and see recent sales of this model in those categories.
These prices come from 188 Winchester Model 1885s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (67), Morphy Auctions (40), Poulin Auctions (29), Redding Auction Services (21), and Amoskeag Auction Company (31) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The age-group rows use the auction companies' categories: antique, curio and relic, or modern.
The typical price is the middle price, also called the median. Half sold for more and half for less. The middle 50% range leaves out the lowest quarter and highest quarter of prices. The wider 80% range leaves out the lowest tenth and highest tenth.
We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Commemoratives are priced on their own page. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These figures are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun.
| Category | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antiquemade before 1899 | 101 | $968 – $2,783 | $1,573 | $750 – $4,406 |
| Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old | 87 | $780 – $2,395 | $1,216 | $611 – $4,230 |
Antique: Rock Island Auction Company typical $2,938 (37 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $1,062 (26 sales).
Recent Model 1885 auction sales
A sample from each age group: sales near its typical price and the newest. Look up a serial number above to see only your gun's group. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Antique · Model 1885 | Amoskeag lot 1488 | $1,573 |
| Dec 2025 | Antique · Model 1885 · 45-90 | Morphy lot 2455 | $1,560 |
| Aug 2026 | Antique · Model 1885 | Amoskeag lot 2766 | $453 |
| May 2025 | Curio & Relic · Model 1885 | Poulin lot 4120 | $1,210 |
| Dec 2025 | Curio & Relic · Model 1885 · 40 Express | Morphy lot 2462 | $1,200 |
| Aug 2026 | Curio & Relic · Model 1885 · 22 Hornet | Rock Island lot 1038 | $4,406 |
Prices are in US dollars and include the buyer’s premium, the auction company’s fee added to the winning bid, where the house charges one; Redding charges none. They are not the amount the seller receives. A dealer’s offer or private sale price may differ. The full picture, model by model →
Where the serial number is
On the lower tang, the metal strip underneath and behind the trigger.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 1885 come from factory record books held at the Cody Firearms Museum, George Madis's reference books, and Winchester's customer-service list. These sources can give different years for the same serial number. Original records usually provide stronger evidence than later estimates. Check the notes to see whether a source dates numbering, assembly, or another step.
Madis vs. factory dates shows examples from models whose tables disagree on this site.
Sources for this model: Madis/legacy year-end table · CFM/Polishing Room antique cutoff · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
How long from numbering to shipping? Half the Model 1885 guns in our sample shipped within 45 days →
How accurate are these tables?
We compared numbering dates from published factory letters with the table years. Each table is checked only against serials it covers, so the sample sizes differ. Here is how often each table matched the year in those records:
- George Madis's published tables: 14 of 21 recorded years match the table year (21 match or differ by no more than one year). 25 more fall in a block the table gives as a span of years, which is not counted as a year match.
- Winchester's own customer-service list (2012): 16 of 29 recorded years match the table year (24 match or differ by no more than one year). 3 more fall in a block the table gives as a span of years, which is not counted as a year match.
These checks describe the letters in our sample, not every gun made. Exceptions to number order and gaps or errors in records can affect individual dates.
Winchester Model 1885 serial numbers by year
The full Model 1885 serial number chart, one table for each source available here. Each row gives the numbers that source assigns to a year. Both the first and last numbers are included.
The tables agree with each other except at a year-end boundary or two, where they differ by a handful of serials. A row marked “estimate” is a figure its own source calls an estimate. A row marked “approximate” is a figure we trust less than the rest of its table: a boundary the sources put a few serials apart, or a figure a later record corrects.
George Madis's published tables
George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.
Cited as: Madis/legacy year-end table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 1 – 375 |
| 1886 | 376 – 6,841 |
| 1887 | 6,842 – 18,328 |
| 1888 | 18,329 – 30,571 |
| 1889 | 30,572 – 45,019 |
| 1890–1891 | 45,020 – 53,700 |
| 1892 | 53,701 – 60,373 |
| 1893 | 60,374 – 69,534 |
| 1894–1895 | 69,535 – 73,771 |
| 1896 | 73,772 – 78,253 |
| 1897 | 78,254 – 78,815 |
| 1898approximate | 78,816 – 84,700 |
| 1899approximate | 84,701 – 85,086 |
| 1900–1920estimate | 85,087 – 115,170 |
| 1920–1923estimate | 115,171 – 139,700 |
- 1885: Numbering began at 1. Madis's table says 1 to 375 shipped in 1885.
- 1890–1891: The table gives one figure for 1890 and 1891 together.
- 1894–1895: The table gives one figure for 1894 and 1895 together.
- 1898: The original factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum put the 1898 cutoff at 82,381 rather than the 84,700 shown here. That is a difference of 2,319 numbers. Serials 82,382 to 84,700 need an individual factory-record check.
- 1899: This 1899 starting number is worked out from the disputed 1898 cutoff of 84,700 in George Madis's tables. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 82,381 instead.
- 1900–1920: The regular table reaches 115,170 in 1920. This row covers 1900 to 1920. Serial numbers above 94,000 are estimates, and many later numbers were skipped.
- 1920–1923: Winchester's own list gives no further numbers until the end of 1923, when it reaches 139,700. This range follows the regular table's 115,170 in 1920. The dates are estimates, and many numbers were skipped.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
Drawn from Winchester's original factory records. Numbering records date when serial numbers were stamped. The gun could be finished or shipped later; see this model's notes.
Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room antique cutoff
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1885–1898approximate | through 82,381 |
- 1885–1898: George Madis's tables give 84,700. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 82,381. The Cody figure is 2,319 numbers lower.
Winchester's own customer-service list (2012)
A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.
Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 1 – 375 |
| 1886 | 376 – 6,841 |
| 1887 | 6,842 – 18,328 |
| 1888 | 18,329 – 30,571 |
| 1889 | 30,572 – 45,019 |
| 1890–1891 | 45,020 – 53,700 |
| 1892 | 53,701 – 60,371 |
| 1893 | 60,372 – 69,534 |
| 1894–1895 | 69,535 – 73,771 |
| 1896 | 73,772 – 78,253 |
| 1897 | 78,254 – 78,815 |
| 1898 | 78,816 – 84,700 |
| 1899 | 84,701 – 85,086 |
| 1900 | 85,087 – 88,501 |
| 1901 | 88,502 – 90,424 |
| 1902 | 90,425 – 92,031 |
| 1903 | 92,032 – 92,359 |
| 1904 | 92,360 – 92,785 |
| 1905 | 92,786 – 93,611 |
| 1906 | 93,612 – 94,208 |
| 1907 | 94,209 – 95,743 |
| 1908 | 95,744 – 96,819 |
| 1909 | 96,820 – 98,097 |
| 1910 | 98,098 – 98,506 |
| 1911 | 98,507 – 99,012 |
| 1913 | 99,013 – 100,352 |
What to know about Model 1885 serial numbers
- Serial numbers above 94,000 are estimates.
- George Madis's tables report that serial numbers eventually reached about 139,700 after large blocks of numbers were skipped. No official exact production total was found.
- Serial 139,700 is the last serial number reached after numbers were skipped. It does not mean 139,700 guns were made.
- Large blocks of numbers were skipped after about 115,170. Winder muskets are numbered inside the same Single Shot run of numbers. Do not work out how many were made from the highest serial number.
- The range covered by the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum is not the same as the last serial number made.
- The OldGuns lookup shows a range of 1 to 151,170. That conflicts with the detailed table and is most likely a copying error, so do not let it replace the detailed figure.
- George Madis's tables give 84,700. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 82,381. The Cody figure is 2,319 numbers lower.
- Federal antique status depends on the gun actually being made in or before 1898. Serial 82,381 or below is the pre-1899 antique cutoff supported by the factory ledger. Serials 82,382 to 84,700 need an individual factory-record check.
- Winchester's own customer-service list is a retyped compilation, not the original records. The list itself says that no complete original serial record from 1866 onward is known to exist, and that some of its figures are estimates.
- Winchester's own customer-service list records no further serial numbers until the end of 1923. The last number it records is 139,700.
Winchester rifles usually made without serial numbers
These models usually have no serial number. Their pages explain the exceptions and how their features may help estimate age.
Need more detail? Check for factory records
The Cody Firearms Records Office can check for surviving records for your serial number. For a fee, it can issue a letter reporting what they say. Some records contain only dates; others also describe the gun’s original features.
The office’s May 2024 coverage sheet lists these Model 1885 serial numbers: 1–115,308. Check current availability with the office before ordering; a listed range does not guarantee a record for every number.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →
What special-order features the Model 1885 records describe →